Technology Wrap

How to Increase Productivity on a Mac

2007-02-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge fan of Mac OS X and one of the best things about it is that you can boost your productivity three times over. There are some great tips and tricks that you can use on the mac to boost your productivity as shown by this video. Most importantly, I think this should video should be seen by Windows users as well because you can see some amazing stuff that you can't do on Windows. I'm not trying to switch anyone; I'm just trying to provide you with the facts.

LaLa.com: Legally Trade Your CD's for $1

2006-08-27T20:51:00.000-04:00

Its been awhile since the website lala.com started their great business idea. However, many people have yet to here about LaLa. The website offers a cd trading service which reminds me a little bit of Netflix mixed with ebay. A LaLa user starts by adding their cds to their "Have List". Then the user picks cds he or she wants from a huge database. LaLa.com then sends you some shipping materials to ship your cds in. If one of your cd's is on someone's want list, you may ship that cd to them for only .75 cents shipping. Lala.com then credits your account for 1 cd, meaning you can select a cd from your want list to be shipped to you for only a $1 fee.

Buy NewsFire (or Blog), Get Inquisitor Free

2006-08-20T00:10:00.000-04:00

If you buy NewsFire today or tomorrow then you will get a free license to Inquisitor. Both are Mac products and I have heard of both but never gave them a second glance until now. Basically, it is a buy and get a goody free deal.

However, if you own a blog and publish about this deal then you can get Inquisitor for free (yea, yea). Check it out here.

Sorry, I'm Late

2006-08-18T20:08:00.000-04:00

I would like to apologize for not producing any content for the last 3 weeks. I was on vacation for about a week and honestly I got lazy and stopped making content. I realized that eventually I'm going to burn out because this isn't my job and really the only reason I do this is because I want to be a blogger and make some use of the all the time I spend on the web. Also, I want to get into CSS, HTML, and Java a lot more then I know and I realized I haven't been doing all that great a job at it.

So on behalf of myself I just would like to say sorry I'm late in coming back to the TechWrap and I'm going to produce some more content.

However, I began to produce too much content that I ended up getting sick of what I was doing. So basically, I won't be producing as much content but it will still be here. Hopefully, there will be some new changes in the TechWrap's future and it should be for the better.

Google Talk Version 1.0.0.95

2006-07-29T16:53:00.000-04:00

A new testing version of Google Talk is now available version 1.0.0.95

New in this release:

File Transfer
Music Status
Voice Mail

Way to go Google!

You can read all about the new stuff here. Download link is in the title as usual.

Rumored Mac Pro Specs and Design

2006-07-14T16:09:00.000-04:00

Here are rumored pics and specs for the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is the name for the Intel replacement of the PowerMac. Click the images for a better view.

The Office Webisodes are now up

2006-07-13T14:15:00.000-04:00

The Office Webisodes are now up. They are short clips that I'm guessing will eventually add up to a full episode (or more).

Check them out here.

Nike+iPod Sport Kit to come this week

2006-07-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

AppleInsider is reporting the Nike+iPod Sport Kit will come this week and hit Apple retail stores tomorrow. The $30 kit will support the iPod Nano but not the iPod with video.

X360/PS3/Wiii Call of Duty 3 Screenshot Comparison

2006-07-12T00:22:00.000-04:00

These pics are via IGN. The seperate screenshots go in this order: PS3, Wii, and 360. I didn't do any photoshop and make an actual side-by-side comparison because I suck with photoshop but I used Mac OS X's Expose to do the best I could. The top left is the Wii, bottom left is the PS3, and top right is the 360. Click the photos to enlarge.

Nintendo Wii controller system with Madden '07

2006-07-09T19:07:00.000-04:00

Check out these screenshots that show the Wii controller in use with Madden NFL 2007. I can't wait 'till the Wii comes out.

Funny Apple Mac Ad Parody by Best Week Ever

2006-07-07T23:01:00.000-04:00

The guys at VH1's Best Week Ever have made a hilarious parody of the Get a Mac ads by Apple. Caution: These ads are extremely funny and be ready to l.o.l.

Apple working with Sony on PS3?

2006-07-07T12:51:00.000-04:00

On the PS3 official website the Apple logo flashes for a brief second at the very beginning. Is Apple working with Sony on the PS3? Check out these flickr photos if you miss it.

The Office Webisodes coming in a Week

2006-07-06T22:00:00.000-04:00

Back in May I first reported on the release date of The Office Webisodes coming on July 13th. Well, I just wanted to post this quick reminder saying that in a week the webisodes will be here and you can get your Office fix. Be sure to get your monitors tuned to NBC.com on Thursday July 13th.

Call of Duty 3 Gameplay Footage

2006-07-05T11:52:00.000-04:00

The highly anticipated Call of Duty 3 game now has some recent gameplay footage on the web. If you are even remotely interested in video games then you have got to check this out.

Apple comes out with $899 educational iMac

2006-07-05T11:22:00.000-04:00

The Education market now has an Apple offering in the form of a cheaper iMac. It makes sense with the iMac's award-winning design and all they had to do was downgrade some specs. The downgrade includes only a 80GB hard drive...etc. Yada yada yada. Here is a picture that shows a side-by-side comparison of the educational iMac and the regular lower model. If you would like to buy one then you need to access the education part of the Apple website.

Nintendo Wii Launch Date in Print?

2006-07-02T18:42:00.000-04:00

The Nintendo Wii launch date is rumored to be November 6th based on a recent Sports Illustrated for Kids that names the launch date.

Yahoo Messenger chats with MSN messenger

2006-07-02T12:09:00.000-04:00

With the recent Yahoo Messenger Mac Beta you can now chat with MSN messenger folks. Microsoft and Yahoo announced a deal that could help them defeat AIM by allowing chatting between Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger. I'm not sure if this will work but it seems like a good step and I sure would love to see interoperability between all the IM services. Here is a screenshot showing the chatting taking place. Click the pic for a better look.

The Nintendo Wii Power Supply - It's Big

2006-07-01T23:59:00.000-04:00

Ever since the Xbox 360 power supply came bricking along everyone cares about power supplies nowadays. Here is a picture of the Nintendo Wii's power supply (the gray thing to the right).

New Site: VideoWrap launches

2006-06-30T20:15:00.000-04:00

The TechWrap now has a sibling! I've launched a new site called "VideoWrap" and here is a brief description via the site:

"Your destination to see all the best YouTube, Google Video, and Yahoo Videos on the web. Stay tuned for all the best from funny to stupid to dramatic to spontaneous. Keep your channel tuned to the VideoWrap!"

The only way most people ever view YouTube or Google Video videos are through links from a friend or site. Most people never search and scour the web for videos and because of that I decided that the VideoWrap could make sure you never have to but still get that video fix you always wanted. I just started posting today and have found 8 great videos already.

The YouTubes and Google Videos of the world wide web are dominating the bandwith waves and the VideoWrap is a great way to get a piece of the action and view a ton of videos. Watch

double the videos you usually do in half the time. Check it out here.

Apple DVR: Apple's Next Big Thing?

2006-06-30T17:19:00.000-04:00

InformationWeek has posted an article that speculates and cites speculation about an Apple DVR possibly called "AppleVision." I will not post any details about the article mainly because I don't wish to write about a rumor and something that might not exist. I have written on rumors in the past but only ones that really excite me. Check out the article here.

Nike + iPod Sport Kit won't support the iPod

2006-06-29T18:16:00.000-04:00

The Nike + iPod Sport Kit is not going to support the iPod itself. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit will only support the iPod nano. It's true. For all the countless regular iPod owners you won't be able to use the Sport Kit in all its goodness (well we'll see).

Here is my proof. First, if you go to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit website you can see that nowhere is there a mention of an iPod as a requirement. Only the iPod Nano. Also, today there was a new iPod Updater released (get it here). In the release notes there is a specific mention of only the iPod Nano getting "Nike + iPod support." All the iPod got were some bug fixes.

As more proof, I talked to 2 seperate Apple representatives at two separate Apple stores and they specifically told me that only the iPod Nano will be supported (sorry Shuffle). It seems that Apple has made it pretty clear to their retail employees that the Nike + iPod Sport Kit will only support the Nano. I asked one of the guys I talked to what the reason was. He told me that since the Nano is smaller, and Flash based so it is more ideally suited for running. The iPod is a hard-drive based player which (the Apple employee says) causes skipping and because of its size it wouldn't be suited for running. Personally, I have never experienced any skipping with my old 4th generation iPod (hard drive based) when running so I really don't see the logic behind Apple's thinking. Also, the new 5th generation iPod is pretty thin and even though it isn't as small as the Nano I still think it is a good small size.

So what am I (consumer) supposed to do? I've got the regular iPod and just bought the Sport Kit.

Well, you've really got three options. First, you can probably return it at the Apple Store; also since no one has gotten their kit yet (including you) you can probably cancel your online order.

Second, you can just receive your product and keep it hoping that someone creates a fix or Apple mends its ways and give you support for the kit. It can be determined that support for the kit is derived from the iPod updater because the Nano just had to receive an update which means that this is a software issue and nothing hardware. That means that someone could hack the software and give support for iPods. Also, most likely the guys that developed iPod Linux will hopefully develop support for the kit in an updated iPod Linux version.

Third, as soon as you get your kit you hoot and holler to Apple that there isn't support for the regular iPod and that you demand. Hopefully, everyone starts to go up-and-arms over this in the blogosphere and Apple listens. So for anyone reading this and has an iPod please call up Apple and request support for your iPod. Either now or when the Sport Kit first hits homes.

Office 2007 delayed (again)

2006-06-29T17:52:00.000-04:00

Microsoft, company that loves to delay products, has announced plans to delay its upcoming Office 2007 to "early 2007."

A Microsoft spokesman said, "Based on internal testing and the beta 2 feedback around product performance, we are revising our development schedule to deliver the 2007 system release by the end of year 2006, with broad general availability in early 2007."

This could mean that Windows Vista, the upcoming OS from Microsoft, and Office 2007 will be released at the same time. Office 2007 boasts a new interface and a complete redesigned file format.

Microsoft has been known for its delays in its long history. If I'm not mistaken Vista has been delayed about 2 years and I can't imagine what the numbers are for Office 2007.

You can get the beta for Office 2007 here. Or you can test drive Office 2007 online via your web browser here. If you just can't take all these delays by Microsoft then you can try OpenOffice.org. Actually, they just released a new version, 2.0.3.

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 released to public

2006-06-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

Microsoft has released IE 7 Beta 3 to the general public. Here is an overview of what IE 7 does:

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) Beta 3 has been designed to make everyday tasks easier, provide dynamic security protection and improve the development platform and manageability. End user improvements include a streamlined interface, tabbed browsing, printing advances, improved search functionality, instant feeds (RSS), dynamic security protection, and more.

Now that you've got the sales pitch I suggest that you do not download it because Internet Explorer has long been a pain, nusance, and a disaster. Instead I recommend Firefox.

System Requirements for IE 7:
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
233 Mhz processor or higher
64MB ram

Get it here (download at your own risk).

Sony PSP Digital Camera Details/Review

2006-06-29T16:34:00.000-04:00

Sony PSP Digital Camera Details are here and are very disappointing. First, the digital camera looks like this:

The camera attaches to the mini USB port on the top of the PSP and creates a 360 X 504 pixels picture. It will arrive in Japan in the Fall of this year. The most disappointing part of the camera is a lacking 1.3 megapixel resolution that you can now get on many cell phones. Does Sony actually expect people to buy this product? Plus, why would you when you can just use your cell phone to take the same photo?

I'm not going to be taking my PSP everywhere to take photos at a poor resolution when I could just take my digital camera. However, if Sony had given it 3 or 4 megapixels at a decent price (price isn't yet known on this 1.3 Mp camera) then I could see myself going to a wedding or family event and snap some photos with my PSP.

Sony just doesn't get it. If there was a good resolution and under $50 I could really spend $300 ($250 on the PSP and $50 on the camera) and get not only the camera value but also a gaming system, music player, video player, and photo viewer all in one package. Then that would seem like a sweet deal.

However, Sony has decided to provide a crap product that almost no one will buy and will give no value.

OpenOffice.org goes 2.0.3

2006-06-29T16:17:00.000-04:00

Here are the list of enhancements by OpenOffice.org:

performance improvements: for example, a 23 percent improvement in certain Calc benchmarks
further improvements to file format compatibility with Microsoft Office files
new email integration features for users wanting to send emails in Microsoft file formats
more control over how exported PDF documents will display when opened in a PDF reader
support for more languages and improvements in hyphenation and thesaurus
support for Intel architecture for Mac OS X plus improved Mac OS X System integration
built-in check for updated versions

OpenOffice.org is an open source publishing platform that many use instead of Microsoft's Office suite. This version is now a Universal Binary and of course the aforementioned improvements. OpenOffice.org is available for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD and is open-source. Get it here for free.